Losing Custody Of Overfed Children

[HoboFactory]

I read an article recently on CNN, in which some mother in England feeds her son nothing but junk food because he doesn't like anything healthy. The kid is 8 years old and weighs like 200 lb's (91kg). So social workers debated whether or not the mother should be able to keep custody, even though she refused to lock the fridge and all that. In the end, they allowed her to keep the kid, but apparently had her agree to some plan for change.

 

It's kind of an intersting issue. Obesity is not only something deemed physically unattractive in modern society, but it also poses a multitude of dangers to health such as heart disease and diabetes. In all likelihood, it will all boil down to a public health disaster, and not just in the UK either. Not only are parents who allow/cause their kids to get into such a state doing them a disservice in terms of social well being, but also multiplying their future risks for medical problems. The sad thing is, it's not somehow extremely rare, just the other day on the train I take to school, I saw a (very large) mother feeding her baby BBQ-style chips. She also had a toddler with her that too was clearly grossly obese. It becomes obvious that the reason kids don't like eating healthy is because they're given crap and become accustomed to it before they're even able to speak.

 

I think, in the interest of the kid's well being, someone like social services should definitely be able to use the prospect of taking away custody from a parent. Obviously the parent should be given a choice, either to make drastic changes (no excuses, none of that "but he/she doesn't like it" crap) and if they're not willing to make such a change, they're not fit parents. I would think, when faced with that kind of choice, the parent will choose to make the change the majority of the time, and if not, that is if someone is THAT committed to making sure their kid is a heart-attack waiting to happen, then the kid is likely to be better off with someone else.

[heyrabbit]

yeah I definitely agree. it's absolutely tantamount to child abuse. there's a moral equivalence between giving a child drugs and feeding it certain amounts of certain foods. it's really no different than poisoning a child. if we're going to say that it's immoral to give a child amphetamines, say, then it has to be immoral to feed a child disgusting amounts of unhealthy foods. in fact, you'd be way better off giving your child marijuana, maybe even alcohol, instead of teaching it to be a glutton.

 

the reason why nothing much is done about it is because we are admonished to respect people's lifestyles. it's taboo to openly criticize obesity. many doctors don't even like warning their patients about health risks, even though it's their moral responsibility. the problem is that 3 year old's dont get to choose a lifestyle, they're given one. it's also easy to ignore this type of abuse because "baby fat is normal". you know, which sentence sounds worse?

 

"oh isn't that cute. your baby hasn't lost his baby fat yet"

 

"oh isn't that cute, your baby hasn't lose his high yet"

Edited February 28, 2007 by heyrabbit

[Muran]

Yeah, I definately think it's a form of child abuse.

 

It worries me, a parent that's obese themselves, taking care of a child, the way they take care of themselves, nutrition-wise.

 

I know this is not the same with all obese people, but I've seen the type that are so proud of what size they are, they see nothing wrong with it.

 

On a personal note, I have an uncle, who overfed his three kids (he's a single parent), to the point where they were grossly obsese. When we as a family, asked him why he was feeding them so much, he replied

 

"Don't tell me how to raise my children. I want my daughters to be fat enough that no man will want them, that way they'll stay with me forever."

 

How fucking sick is that?

[Some Random]

pretty fuckin' sick. the universe owes that guy a kick in the nuts. and i agree with everyone else: child abuse is child abuse.

[bishopx]

Yeah your uncle is definitely sick, Tracy...

 

Amen Child abuse is child abuse. You need a license to have a dog, but any asshole can have a kid.

[little miss sunshine]

I don't understand doctors and there unwillingness to address the issues like obesity. It's the same with Type II diabetes. So many people in my pharmacy come in and say "I almost have diabetes" or "I'm prediabetic". It's clear cut - you are, or you are not. Maybe you're not on pills yet, just testing your sugar, but pretty soon you will be because you don't watch what you eat and refuse to control it through diet.

[Moonlight_Graham]

if parents are doing something that is hurting a childs' health ( ie: are feeding their kid so much crappy food that they are severely obese) then i think there needs to be some intervention. Its in the best interests of the child.

Edited March 1, 2007 by Moonlight_Graham